Monday, August 8, 2011

Gregg Allman

Gregg Allman has cancelled a few dates this summer do to illness. Unfortunately this includes a show I bought tickets for. I saw Gregg and his band early this year and I saw The Allman Brothers at The Beacon in March. It's not enough.
It's been a weirdly unsatisfying Allman Brothers year. They tour every summer and I typically see them twice every summer. They are not touring this summer and I don't know why, although now I suspect it may be related to Gregg's illness. He had a liver transplant a few years ago and it seems he has had a tough time of it since then.
The Beacon was a highlight, an excitement that should carry me through the rest of 2011 and on into 2012. But this band is an addiction; I cannot get enough of them and they cannot get enough of me. Alright, that second part is not true but I'd like to believe that because I have seen them so many times, dug them mightily for so long (since I was 15), that maybe there is some sort of strange Joe Testa vibe floating around them wherever they go. Maybe they hear my name supernaturally on stage and wonder what the hell that was. Or maybe my face ethereally floats in and out of their backdrop videos when they perform. Their background video stuff is hilarious, stuck in the sixties; little mushrooms marching around. I love it.
I worry about the man. He has lived a harsh life, fully embracing the rock lifestyle; his brand spanking new liver attests to that fact.
His brother Duane died in 1971. Two short years after the band finally made it big. Duane was the rock, Duane made the band happen, he was a much revered guitar player who other guitar virtuosos looked up to. Pure magic. His death in a motorcycle accident was a shock. Gregg has kept the band together off and on since then. More importantly he has kept their tradition alive, their legacy, their dedication to and demand for perfection in their music. Or the pursuit of perfection.
I have heard many people over the years dismiss the band as a bunch of long haired druggies. Those people must die. What I love is when I drag some unsuspecting individual to a concert and they are blown away by the musical genius of these guys. They are consummate musicians who are so tight, so good, so soulful, so accomplished at the art of improvising, that if you have a soul, if you understand anything about music at all, you will be blown away to see them live. I am every single time, and I have seen them many, many times.
They have survived many tragedies and even disbanded at times. But they bounced back strong in 1989 and have grown ever stronger since.
That's why I worry about Gregg. He has an upper respiratory illness right now. When you hear of him being sick you can't help but think about his mortality. I am not being morbid and I am putting out strong vibes of health into the universe because I want this man to live another 37 years. That would bring him in at 100.
No one thought the band would survive Duane's death. They have survived it but they are a different band without him. He cannot be replaced. I cannot imagine The Allman Brothers without Gregg's rough, bluesy, distinctive, heartfelt voice. And I refuse to think about it.
Amazing how these people become your friends. I checked out his site this morning and there are posts from his fans wishing him well. They talk to him as if he were a lifelong friend. Because he is. It feels that way to me. One thing I love about ABB is their dedication to the fans. They keep their ticket prices low. Very low. They have always been accessible, you don't have to remortgage your house to see them. Because they care about their fans, it is a genuine community, much like the Grateful Dead community.
I'll sacrifice this concert to Gregg's health, which means I probably won't see him or ABB again until 2012. But that's OK as long as he gets healthy so I can thrill to that magic voice again and be blown away by the musicianship of his solo band and The Allman Brothers band. I need that annual fix, have to have them, have to see them, have to hear them, have to continue digging them with every fiber of my blues loving soul. Because they have been in my life for 42 years and my life is better because of it. Joy, happiness, elation, these things are hard to come by in life. Gregg Allman and The Allman Brothers Band have given me that for a very long time. Get well Gregg, keep on rockin' and I will see you soon. Count on it, brother.

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